Barn, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
c. 1937, printed 1981
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
overall: 34.6 x 24.2 cm (13 5/8 x 9 1/2 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Virginia B. Adams
Accession Number
1986.3.21
Art Historical Context
Ansel Adams, one of America's most celebrated photographers, captured the stark beauty of a Cape Cod barn in this gelatin silver print from around 1937. Known for his masterful black-and-white landscapes and advocacy of "straight photography" through the Group f/, Adams emphasized clarity, precision, and the full tonal range of light and shadow. This image, printed in 1981 from the original negative, exemplifies his Zone System technique, which allowed for exceptional detail in both highlights and deep shadows, transforming everyday rural scenes into monumental compositions. Taken during the ...
About the Artist
Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams, born on February 20, 1902, in San Francisco, California, grew up as the only child of Charles Hitchcock Adams, a businessman and astronomy enthusiast who tutored him at home, and Olive Bray, with whom he had a distant relationship. A hyperactive child prone to illness, Adams struggled in formal schooling and was educated by private tutors and his father until graduating from eighth gr...